AIRE BSF · INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION
PICK-UP ARTISTS: CYBERBULLYING AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT
MADRID
Nine women have filed complaints against a man who allegedly approached them on the street using deceptive tactics, introduced himself as a prestigious lawyer, and obtained their phone numbers. Sexual, insulting and humiliating messages allegedly followed. The case has opened an international debate about Pick-Up Artist communities, manipulation and violence against women.
MADRID, PARIS, LONDON, BUENOS AIRES, GENEVA. NOVEMBER 5, 2026.
WORLD ORGANIZATION BULLYING SIN FRONTERAS
A seemingly casual encounter. A question about a bank branch. A carefully crafted professional introduction. An invitation to go for a drink.
This was how a series of harassment incidents allegedly began, eventually leading to the arrest of a 41-year-old man in Madrid, accused of harassing nine women between 2024 and 2026.
One particularly disturbing aspect of the case is that the suspect allegedly used a false professional identity to gain women's trust, obtain their personal information and then continue contacting them through their phones and social media accounts.
Spain's National Police arrested him on October 23 and brought him before the judicial authorities.
Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that additional women may come forward.
THE FAKE LAWYER FROM THE CUATRO TORRES BUSINESS DISTRICT
The man, identified in media reports as Pablo, was an English teacher and an employee of the Madrid regional government.
His alleged strategy involved staging apparently chance encounters with women walking through Madrid's Tetuán district and the Estrecho area.
He would generally begin by asking where he could find a Caja Rural bank branch. He would then introduce himself as a prominent lawyer who held meetings with clients in the Cuatro Torres financial district.
The supposed professional status helped prolong the conversation and establish trust.
Once contact had been established, he would invite the women to dinner or for a drink and try to obtain their phone numbers.
One complainant said she had encountered him approximately five times during the two years she lived in the area.
On one occasion, according to her account, the man allegedly engineered an apparently accidental encounter at a pedestrian crossing to start another conversation.
According to the investigation, this was not a single isolated incident, but a succession of approaches that the complainants later linked to the same individual.
FROM THE STREET TO THE PHONE: DIGITAL HARASSMENT
The reported behavior took on a different dimension once the man had obtained the women's phone numbers.
The women began receiving sexually explicit messages, insults and degrading language.
Among the reported expressions were terms such as “little slut” and “crazy bitch,” along with sexually violent propositions.
Some women chose to block the number.
However, according to police information, the man allegedly continued trying to contact them through other social media platforms.
The digital pursuit thus prolonged the incidents that had begun in public spaces.
The complainants described intimidation, being followed and fear. Some reportedly suffered anxiety attacks.
One woman said the man had grabbed her wrist when she tried to get away.
The case illustrates a particularly troubling pattern: using face-to-face contact to obtain personal information and then turning digital devices into instruments of harassment.
PICK-UP ARTISTS: SEDUCTION, MANIPULATION OR HARASSMENT?
The Madrid case bears similarities to certain practices promoted internationally by the movement known as Pick-Up Artists (PUA), a term commonly used to describe people who claim expertise in seduction and dating techniques.
The phenomenon originated in the United States and spread through books, courses, seminars, websites, forums and online communities.
Members exchange experiences and strategies for approaching strangers, starting conversations and obtaining dates.
Some of these practices are presented as tools for overcoming shyness and improving social skills.
However, certain currents promote psychological manipulation, pressure, humiliation and the devaluation of women.
One practice known as negging, for example, involves making apparently derogatory comments intended to undermine a woman's confidence and create a desire for approval.
The problem arises when an interaction stops being based on mutual interest and becomes a strategy for overriding another person's wishes or rejection.
It is important to clarify that no publicly available evidence establishes that the Madrid suspect formally belonged to a Pick-Up Artist organization or had received training from its members.
The connection that merits investigation concerns the use of certain approaches and manipulation techniques circulating within international communities.
INTERPOL, EUROPOL, REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS AND THE JMH INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF JOURNALISTS:
THE PICK-UP ARTIST ISSUE
FRANCE: THE DEBATE REACHES THE SENATE
This phenomenon is not an exclusively Spanish concern.
In France, the Senate published a report in June 2026 examining the men's rights and masculinist movement and its contemporary expressions.
The document examines seduction communities, narratives about relationships between men and women, and certain practices that may contribute to normalizing pressure and the devaluation of women.
The institutional analysis shows that the phenomenon deserves discussion beyond individual police cases.
The question is how certain behaviors are developed, circulated and legitimized within online communities that may bring together thousands of participants.
AUSTRALIA: RESEARCH INTO DIGITAL CONTENT
A University of Sydney academic study, published in August 2026, examined Instagram content associated with Pick-Up Artist communities.
The study analyzed 350 posts and found behavior potentially amounting to harassment in 60% of the content examined, as well as abusive comments about women in 43%.
These findings do not mean that every member of these communities engages in criminal conduct. They do, however, provide evidence for examining how certain content can normalize objectification, intimidation and contempt toward women.
The expansion of digital platforms allows these ideas to circulate, be reproduced and reach new audiences.
CYBERHARASSMENT IS NOT SIMPLY AN ARGUMENT ON THE INTERNET
The story of the nine women in Madrid reveals continuity between two settings in which violence can occur.
First, public spaces: persistent approaches, repeated encounters and situations involving intimidation.
Then, the digital space: sexual messages, insults, pursuit across different platforms and attempts to maintain contact even after being blocked.
This continuity is essential to understanding the scale of the problem.
A mobile phone, which should be a tool for communication and safety, can become an instrument of pursuit.
From a prevention perspective, it is important to distinguish sexual harassment, digital harassment and cyberbullying. They are not identical legal categories, and not every unpleasant online interaction automatically constitutes cyberbullying.
Nevertheless, they can share mechanisms of intimidation, humiliation and harassment that require institutional responses.
NINE WOMEN: A WARNING FOR THE WORLD'S MAJOR CITIES
One of the most significant aspects of the case is that the complainants were able to recognize a common pattern after sharing their experiences.
The circulation of their accounts on social media allowed women who had experienced similar situations to discover that they might not have been dealing with unrelated incidents.
Police were then able to make progress in identifying the suspect and bringing the complaints together.
This communication among potential victims also highlights a challenge: digital platforms can be used both to multiply harassment and to report it and find support.
The investigation remains open, and further complainants may come forward.
The arrested man must be considered a presumed perpetrator unless and until a court issues a conviction.
PREVENTION: CONSENT IS NOT NEGOTIABLE
The World Organization Bullying Sin Fronteras believes this case should contribute to an international discussion around five key issues:
1. Respect for rejection.
No one has the right to persist, pursue or intimidate another person because an invitation has been declined or an approach rejected.
2. Protection of personal information.
Women must be able to move through cities without fearing that a casual encounter will become an opportunity for someone to obtain their phone numbers or private information through deception.
3. Prevention of digital harassment.
Unsolicited sexual messages, threats, repeated insults and persistent contact after someone has been blocked must be taken seriously.
4. Platform accountability.
Technology companies must provide effective ways to report harassment, preserve evidence and prevent victims from being subjected to repeated unwanted contact.
5. Education about consent and healthy relationships.
Seduction techniques must never be confused with methods for manipulating, intimidating or breaking another person's will.
A WARNING TO THE WORLD
The Madrid case should not be reduced to the story of a man who allegedly pretended to be a lawyer to obtain dates.
Nine women have reported being subjected to a pattern of in-person and digital harassment. There is a police investigation. And there is an international debate about communities that market seduction techniques and about the boundaries between social interaction, manipulation and harassment.
Prevention requires looking beyond the police incident.
It requires investigating conduct, protecting victims and educating people about respect and consent.
For a world without bullying, without cyberbullying and without violence against people.
AIRE BSF — INFORMATION, INVESTIGATION AND PREVENTION.
RESEARCH SOURCES
INTERPOL
EUROPOL
Spain's National Police
JMH International Consortium of Journalists
Reporters Without Borders
University of Sydney, Australia
French Senate
WORLD ORGANIZATION BULLYING SIN FRONTERAS
